The Case of the Market Massacre
by Sunoko
Summary: From his initial visual sweep of the shop, Megure counted two bodies, several knocked-over shelves, and some bullet casings. There was a large pool of blood near the door and several sets of red footprints. This case was going to be a nightmare.


Disclaimer: Detective Conan, the characters, and locations therein are the property of Gosho Aoyama, Viz Media, Shogakukan, TMS, and FUNimation. No copyright infringement is intended, and no profit is being made from this fiction.

~*~

Inspector Megure wasn't actually on duty when the call came into the station. He had been enjoying a rare night out with his wife, and had not been pleased when it was interrupted by a phone call from Shiratori. The younger man hadn't said much aside from the general "there's a case, we desperately need you to come," etc. etc. What dire emergency could have taken place at 8:45 on a Thursday evening, the portly inspector had no idea. Initially, Megure had grumbled, but his wife, angelic, understanding creature that she was, had merely sighed with understanding.

"If this wasn't an emergency, do you really think that Shiratori-kun would have bothered to call?" she asked as the pair paid their check and made their way to the door. "He knows how hard you work, and how much we wanted to have this evening out. Don't scowl like that, my dear, you'll give yourself wrinkles." If there was one regret Megure had in his life, it was that this type of thing was so common-place that his wife was _used_ to it.

Heaven only knew what life was like in the Mouri household.

And so a full forty minutes after his evening had been interrupted, Inspector Megure found himself driving up to a combini that was practically flooded with cops. His intuition told him that Shiratori was probably right to call, because something just felt _off. _Like many good cops, Megure had developed an instinct over time, something of a sixth sense that told him when a scene was wrong. Paying attention to that instinct had often cracked numerous cases in the past.

Megure was not about to ignore the growing feeling of alarm now.

It occurred to him as he pulled into the cordoned-off street that the crime scene was located near Mouri Kogoro's office. Would he see three very familiar faces this time, too? With the way dead bodies almost magically appeared around them, Kogoro and Conan seemed to be cursed. But that was a mystery Megure had absolutely no interest in solving.

He turned his attention to Shiratori, who was walking out to meet him. There was a deadly serious expression on the younger detective's face, and the sense of alarm in Megure's gut increased tenfold. Shiratori wasted no time in briefing the chief inspector.

"Inspector," he began, "It's bad. It's really bad. 119 received a flood of calls ranging from approximately 8:03 pm to 8:40 pm, all regarding this situation." Yes, well, Megure got that part. If it wasn't bad, then he wouldn't _be _here. Besides, the curly-haired man was white as a sheet, so whatever happened had to be gristly.

"Well, Shiratori-kun, what situation _is_ this?" Megure asked gruffly, nodding to various officers as he passed. The red and blue flashing lights of numerous cop cars reflected off of the windows of the combini, almost blinding the chief inspector. Dusk had faded into night hours ago, so even with the light of the moon, it would be hard to look for evidence. Still, there were very small blessings to be counted. He did not see Conan-kun, his little band of friends, or any of the Mouris, which meant that there was one less hassle to deal with.

"Triple homicide," Shiratori replied as they entered the store. Megure froze.

_Shit._

This case was going to be a nightmare. From his initial visual sweep, Megure counted two bodies, several knocked-over shelves, and some bullet casings. There was a large pool of blood near the door and several sets of red footprints.

_If the junior officers have contaminated the evidence by trampling through that_, Megure thought, _there will be hell to pay._

Already there were markers and outlines over various pieces of evidence, and the uniformed officers were diligently photographing the scene. Megure moved and looked at the young girl at the cash register. Shot through the head. Her eyes were wide open and staring, and blood dripped down the side of her face. Even with all of the ambient noise of police scuttling about and cameras flashing, Megure could hear the _drip, drip, drip_ sound her blood made as it splashed on the counter and floor. As much as he wanted to close her eyes, the portly detective knew he could not. Not until the coroner had cleared the scene.

As the chief walked around, Shiratori narrated the situation."From what we can tell, we think it might be a robbery gone wrong. There's no security cameras, so we have no way of knowing for certain, but it appears that something triggered the man to open fire. The woman at the cashier, another shopper, and a third employee in the back were gunned down as the perp made his escape, as best we figure. Right now we're waiting on the medical examiners, but it's really a formality more than anything else."

"When did you arrive on the scene, Shiratori-kun?" God, this girl at the register couldn't have been older than twenty.

"Officer Tagaki and I arrived here just after the ambulance left, at approximately 8:26 pm. He--"

Shiratori stopped when Megure raised his hand.

"Ambulance? Do we have a witness?" If they did, hopefully they could solve this case quickly, and get the bastard who gunned down three innocents behind bars fast. But one look at Shiratori's heavy scowl killed that hope. "Shiratori, _report." _Megure barked impatiently.

The other man seemed to be shaking with anger, but took a deep breath to compose himself. "She's... sir, it's Mouri Ran_."_ Megure felt his heart drop to his knees. _Shit. _He listened numbly as Shiratori continued. The curly-haired man's voice was devoid of emotion. "Paramedics arrived on the scene within ten minutes of the first 119 call. According to reports, she was shot twice; once through the shoulder and once through the chest. The medics noticed a contusion on her knuckles; it's probable she was trying to use her karate to neutralize the threat. Detective Sato is with her in the hospital now, but its unlikely that Ran-san will regain consciousness anytime soon."

Megure swallowed thickly. "Has... has anyone told her parents yet?" _Please, please, _please_ let someone have already told them_, he thought.

"We tried, but were unable to reach either Kisagi Eri-san or Kogoro-san," Shiratori replied. "Ran-san was taken to Barikusuton Hospital, and has been the emergency room for almost an hour now. Satou-kun said she'd call as soon as the doctors gave her any information."

"Have we heard anything from Sato-kun yet?" God, his throat felt bone-dry.

"No, Inspector. An accident on one of the main roads held them up, and it took them a little longer to get to the hospital. This delayed Ran-kun's treatment." The younger man ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "This entire situation... it's just so..." Words apparently failed Shiratori, but Megure couldn't blame him. How the hell was anyone supposed to describe a scene as ghastly as this? But the time for shock and frustration would be later. The window to catch the criminal was rapidly closing and they had to work fast.

He hated to ask this. He knew he would hate the answer, but he needed to know. "How badly was Ran-kun hurt?" Megure asked, looking out at the flashing lights of the squad cars. Quite a crowd had gathered to look at the spectacle. He hoped someone was at least taking down names and information. Perhaps the perp was among the crowd.

The hesitation in Shiratori's voice didn't assuage Megure's fears at all. "Sir, the paramedics didn't say, but...."

_Shit. _ It seemed to be the only word he could think of that fit the situation. Ran-kun was bleeding, possibly dying in the hospital right now. Ran-kun, who he had dandled on his knees when she was small. Ran-kun, who was so familiar that she was practically a daughter to the members of the homicide squad.

Megure sighed. As chief inspector, he knew it was his responsibility to inform Ran's parents. But on top of the heartache that would cause him, it ultimately meant that he'd have to involve Conan-kun.

This was a case he did _not_ want the boy involved in, no matter how brilliant the child was. They were all too emotionally invested in the case as it was; Megure thought that Conan would be needed more at Ran's side than at the crime scene. He thought about what he was going to say, and wondered where in the seven hells Mouri could be. If the man was too drunk or lazy to answer the damn phone, Megure was going to lose it. "All right, all right. Do we have I.D.s on the other vics yet?"

"Yes; the young woman at the cash register is Suzuki Yuriko. We found her purse, along with her school I.D. She's a student at Bei-dai, age 21. Her birthday was two weeks ago. The man lying near the cold case is Yamagura Hisoka, age 37, according to his license. He lives nearby, and appears to be a salaryman. Only had his wallet and keys on him. The third man is Abe Kenta, age 42, and the night shift manager for the store," Shiratori read from his notes.

"All right." Megure sucked in a deep breath. "Have you notified the families, yet?" he asked as reached up and massaged his temples. Three people gunned down, and the fourth in the hospital. What the hell _happened_ here? Cases like these... well, if he wanted them, he would go live in America. It was too surreal to think that it would happen here, in a quiet residential neighborhood in Beika.

"No, sir, we were waiting to brief you," the younger detective replied. Right. Initiative would break the system or something. Megure collected his thoughts and began to bark out orders. People responded in situations of crisis to a leader, and Megure was very good at his job.

"All right, wait until after we're done here. We'll need to bring them all in for questioning anyway. Keep investigating the scene. Tagaki-kun is snooping out in the alley, right? Have him report to me when I get back, and do NOT allow the clean-up crew to begin until we've documented absolutely every speck of dust in this place. Since Satou-kun's at the hospital, you and Tagaki-kun are now partners in this case. Start canvassing the neighborhood, see if you can't drum up any witnesses." Megure tugged his trademark tweed jacket closed. For a spring evening, it seemed suddenly quite cold. "I'll have my cell on."

"Sir?" asked Shiratori, question obvious in his voice. Megure couldn't blame him; this entire scenario almost seemed like it was out of a crime drama.

"I'm going to go beat down Sleeping Kogoro's door and let him know where his daughter is." He paused at the door of the combini, and looked back at Shiratori. "It was a good thing you called," Megure said quietly.

~*~

Driving with one's cell phone on was a terrifically horrible idea, and rather illegal, but Megure didn't care. His first order of business, as he drove over to the Mouri Detective Agency, was calling his wife and letting her know what was going on. She deserved to know that he was likely not going to get home until the very wee hours of the morning, if at all. She had been horrified when he reported the number of people dead, and told him in no uncertain terms that if he didn't catch that evil rat bastard he'd be sleeping on the couch for a month. Megure had smiled at that; she always did encourage him in the most unusual of ways. Once he had hung up with his wife, he called Satou-kun at the hospital, letting her know he was on his way.

When he arrived at the Mouri residence, he noticed that the lights were on in the upstairs living rooms. Suddenly, the stresses of the case caught up to him, and Megure was _livid. _If someone was home, why the hell hadn't they _picked up the phone?_ With a start, Megure realized that it was usually _Ran_ who answered calls. If Kogoro hadn't known she was gone...

This was the part of the job that Megure hated the most. Telling families that their loved one was dead or grievously injured.... It really was unspeakably cruel, in many ways. And yet, it had to be done. Steeling his nerves, Megure rang the bell and pounded on the door, for good measure.

After a few agonizing moments, Megure heard the footfalls of a small child. Oh God, it _would _be Conan-kun who answered the door. For a brief moment, he wondered why the boy hadn't answered the damn phone, either, and the realization of exactly how useless these two men were without Ran struck him heavily.

"Welcome back, Ran-nee- Oh! Inspector Megure!" There was a brief flash of emotion across Conan's face, but it was quickly and carefully schooled into something polite. Not for the first time, Megure wondered about the child. "Please, come in."

"I'm afraid not, Conan-kun. I'm afraid I have... some very bad news. Get Kogoro down here, now." Pure, unadultered _fear_ flickered across Conan's face, and the tiny boy was racing up the stairs as though Satan himself was on his heels.

Conan knew. Conan had to know, or at least fear the worst. Megure bit his lip, hating himself, his job, but mostly hating the piece of crap that had shot Ran. He heard the annoyed, anxious shout of Conan, urging Kogoro to _move already!_ and a loud thump. Shortly after, the two reappeared, Kogoro grumbling all the way.

"Damned brat, what the hell--" He stopped short upon seeing Megure, and blinked owlishly. "Inspector, what are you doing here?"

No point beating around the bush. He took a deep breath. "Ran-kun... Ran-kun has been shot. She's currently at the hospital with Satou-kun. Mouri-kun, if you have any way of getting ahold of your wife, I suggest you do so."

The two stared back at him, clearly in shock. Conan recovered first, all but leaping upon Megure and grabbing the man's coat. "Where?!" the boy shouted. "Where is she?! What hospital?!" The chief inspector felt nearly helpless against this tiny wave of rage, sorrow, and agony. Conan looked... he looked...

He did not look like a child, that was for damn sure. "Calm DOWN, Conan-kun!" he barked in his best "I'm in charge so shut up and listen to me" voice. The small boy visibly forced himself to relax, but was still shaking with rage or fear; Megure couldn't tell which. Kogoro had merely made a quiet, choking sound before dashing up the stairs. He returned moments later with two coats.

"Take us there, Megure," the former cop demanded. "Take me to my little girl, and explain exactly _what the hell happened."_

"There was a shooting at the combini five blocks over. Detective Satou will know more than I will; she's already at the hospital," Megure replied quietly. "It seems that Ran-kun was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time." Kogoro looked as though someone had removed his bones, and slumped against the wall for support. Conan, however, had darted past the adults and was already buckling himself up in Megure's squad car.

"Let's go," the boy said grimly.

The drive to the hospital was done in terse silence. Megure had loaned Kogoro his phone to call Eri, but beyond that the drive was quiet. Conan was sitting as still as a stone and staring out the window. Honestly, the inspector was surprised that the boy hadn't started grilling him for details about the shooting already. His behavior was just... _odd. _ And if Megure didn't know better, there was a distinct sense of fear about the boy. And he was sitting so still. No child Megure had ever known kept as still as Conan-kun. No child Megure had ever known was so laser focused, either. The boy was obviously putting up a good mask, hiding the pain Megure knew he must be feeling, but in the Chief Inspector's experience, normal children _did not have_ such control. Especially at that age. He was six! Six! And it wasn't even that he was shutting down; a common defense mechanism Megure had seen with children who had been through tragedy.

No. That wasn't it at all. Conan-kun was a master of his emotions, and Megure knew that it was psychologically impossible for a boy so young to have such focus, let alone control. The inspector glanced back at the boy through the rear-view mirror and caught a glimpse of tremendous rage and terror before he was caught. Conan had apparently sensed Megure's gaze (_another oddity, Conan-kun should not be so aware of his surroundings)_ and looked back, but any and all hints of emotion were carefully shuttered away. For the first time, Megure found himself wondering exactly who, or what this boy really was.

"Eri's going to meet us here," Kogoro said as they pulled into the hospital parking lot. The man's voice was deepened with emotion, rough and almost hoarse. It seemed almost abnormally loud after the deep silence of the car, but it did distract Megure from the Conan Problem.

"We'll get her a parking pass," Megure replied as they got out of the car. "So she can use the private lot tonight." Kogoro made a noncommittal grunt in reply, while Conan said nothing. Megure did notice that the boy glanced around in a manner the inspector would have marked as paranoid had he not known better.

The receptionist, after getting I.D. from Megure, had a spare nurse escort them to the triage unit. Satou-kun, looking very drawn and pinched with worry, met them at the doors outside of surgery.

"She's been in there for about an hour," the petite detective began without preamble, "but from what I've been able to get from the surgeons, it's going to be a very long night for our Ran-chan." Satou sighed and rubbed at the back of her neck. Megure knew it to be a gesture born of nervous energy. He couldn't blame her. Waiting like this... he didn't think there was any possible way for any of them to feel more helpless.

"How long do the surgeons estimate her operation to take?" Conan asked, his voice low and grim. Megure held back a sigh and mentally added something else to his mental "odd things about Conan-kun" list. Satou blinked owlishly at the boy.

"Ten hours? Maybe more, maybe less," the woman replied, just as grim. "It'll depend on how much damage Ran-chan's body took when she was hit."

_Shit. _Everyone there, including Kogoro, had been in the force long enough to know what that really meant. Megure's frown deepened, Conan clenched his fists tightly and looked like he badly wanted to hit something, and Kogoro ran an angry hand through his hair. Ten hours of surgery was an incredibly long time.

Their only potential eyewitness might not make it through the night.

~*~

Notes: Japanese names are family name first, and I'm using untranslatable suffixes, ie, -kun, -san, etc. Bei-dai, Yuriko's school, is a completely fictional university, but for those who are curious, the full name is Beika Daigaku (Baker University). Because I'm a total dork, the hospital Ran's at, "Barikusuton", was named after Brixton, the town in England where a corpse with the mysterious word "RACHE" written on the wall next to it is found in Doyle's "A Study In Scarlet". Add an "L" to the end of that mysterious word, and you have Ran's translated English name. Why yes, I do think about this too much. Next chapter hopefully up within a week or two!


End file.
